Hundreds of Aussies a month caught out by the latest phone scam
Australians are being swindled out of thousands of dollars by phone scammers who want you to call them back.
The scammers are calling from overseas numbers and then hanging up before you can answer in an attempt to get you to return the missed call – and the be charged with huge fees.
Overseas numbers are used in countries where tolled lines charge a premium to the caller. It is like 1300 numbers but a lot more expensive.
The scammer tries to keep victims on the line as long as possible to get more money.
“There's lots of places that have very high terminating fees when you call into them. They might try to engage you in conversation,” ACC deputy chair Delia Rickard told Seven News.
“Their goal is to have you call them and stay on the phone for as long as possible so that they get the money.”
People are advised not to pick up calls from numbers – especially from overseas countries – they do not know or are not expecting.